Knockout City’ is going free-to-play in June

Knockout City, a Dodgebrawl brawler, will be free-to-play on all platforms when its sixth season launches later this year. In addition, instead of being published by Electronic Arts, game developer Velan Studios will self-publish Knockout City. According to a statement on the game’s website, this will allow Velan to expand this game’s global audience and carry out the game’s long-term ambition.

“Without EA Originals’ great support, we wouldn’t have been able to bring the game to the world, but now that we’ve gone free-to-play, it’s only natural for us to take over publishing responsibilities and work even closer with our community.”

Knockout City has big goals, and bringing publishing in-house will allow us to fully achieve our vision for the game’s long-term future. There’s a lot to look forward to because this is only the beginning,” the Troy, NY-based studio noted in its release.

Knockout City fans can expect Season 5 (which will premiere on March 1) to be a lot lighter as a result of Velan’s focus on Season 6’s rollout. There will be no new cosmetics, no Brawl Pass, and fewer packs. There will be no new map or ball as well. Season 6 will, however, be jam-packed with new elements, such as a new special ball and different maps.

Velan gave few other details on Knockout City’s future but promised that more information will be forthcoming. While the multi-player dodgeball game was a smash hit when it first launched in May 2021 (attracting about 5 million new players in a month), the excitement has waned. Players have expressed their dissatisfaction with the length of time it takes to match with other players. For a while, being free-to-play will undoubtedly revive the game’s appeal, but gamers will have to put up with commercials or pay for extra features. Knockout City’s future is currently unknown, but fans should keep tuned.